Brunei in 2006: Not a bad year

Political life in Brunei is frequently cast as stultifying, with activity diverted from political parties and civil society to the sultan and his coterie. Indeed, in 2006, with the government's petroleum earnings rising, the only detectable pressures for more openness seemed to emanate from the sultan himself. Staff at the Borneo Bulletin, then the main local daily, this year lamented finding little on the political scene to report. © 2007 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.